Orbi Whole Home WiFi System delivers up to 3.0Gbps high-performance WiFi. Sleek, modern design with high-gain internal antennas for up to 5,000 square feet of coverage. FastLane3 Technology creates a dedicated Tri-Band WiFi for seamless 4K streaming and gaming everywhere in your home. Keep a single WiFi name for uninterrupted connections as you move from room-to-room. Circle with Disney runs on Orbi Routers for a smart way for families to manage content and time online, on any connected device. Provide internet access to guests without sharing your personal network password. Orbi is ready right out of the box and compatible with your ISP. Just use the Orbi app to get started with better WiFi, everywhere in minutes.

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Get more of the broadband you're paying for

Posted 1 month ago

WoodBHermit

Member

NOTE: This review was originally posted on another well-known shopping site on the web in December 2016, shortly after my purchase.
When my “Belkin AC 1800 DB Wi-Fi Dual-Band AC+ Gigabit Router (F9K1118)” purchased on Amazon in 2013 eventually was determined to be the bottleneck that was letting me consistently use only about 40 Mbps (27%) of the Cox broadband (150 Mbps download & 10 Mbps upload) that I was purchasing each month, this was the new WiFi solution that I opted to try. I was definitely not disappointed in doing so!
The download speeds throughout my house are now consistently in the 110-150 Mbps range with some fluctuation that occasionally also has yielded more than the 150 Mbps that I am supposed to get. I have 170-180 Mbps coming out of my cable modem (ARRIS SURFboard SB6141 DOCSIS 3.0 Cable Modem - Retail Packaging – White) via Ethernet. This Orbi system simultaneously handles my desktop PC, Vonage VOIP telephone, two (2) Dropcam Pros (on 24/7), two (2) Amazon Echos, one (1) tablet, one (1) laptop PC, one (1) Canon all-in-one printer and one (1) Roku 4 streaming device without any problems or degradation in bandwidth.
The only device that I own which occasionally has exhibited rather large fluctuations in WiFi download speed is my brand new Moto Z Play smartphone (from 40 Mbps to about 120 Mbps). I am certain that this is phone-related since no other device on my network has this problem, but don't know what the underlying cause of this may be.
The overall setup process of this still somewhat pricey router and satellite system which arrives nicely and impressively packaged is simple and quick: 1) connection of the router to modem and power, 2) proper placement of the plugged in satellite, 3) noting of appropriate color changes emitted by each device and acting accordingly. This is accompanied by administrator account setup with proper login & entry of information at the Netgear web portal (orbilogin). If you’ve setup a router before, none of this should be overwhelming. This should take no more than 15 minutes and quick setup instructions are included.
There was one problem during the setup process with the firmware for the satellite not being available for automatic download and installation through orbilogin. This had to be downloaded from the Netgear support website and installed manually. If this proves to be problem, give Netgear a call and they’ll walk you through the process.
Also, note that the initial blue illumination of the satellite indicating a good connection to the router will stay on significantly longer than the 10 seconds incorrectly mentioned in the included Quick Setup Guide; it’s more like a few minutes until it finally shuts off on its own. This and other potentially useful information can be found in the 124-page User Manual (PDF file) which is available for download from the Netgear support website. A sporadic problem that I experienced with my Dropcam Pro cameras losing their WiFi connection 2-3 times daily for about 10 minutes at a time until reconnecting on their own was solved by simply rebooting the router through the orbilogin web portal. Since doing this, my WiFi has been rock-solid, never a dropped connection!
An additional very nice benefit of this WiFi system is the fact that the satellite has four (4) available Ethernet ports. This now allows me to connect my Roku 4 streaming device to the Internet by means of a hardwired connection versus prior 5 GHz WiFi since my old router with its Ethernet ports was necessarily located in another room. The additional improvement in streaming is readily noticeable!
There are competing mesh WiFi systems currently available (eero, Luma, AmpliFi HD & LR, Google WiFi with likely more to come), but as of the date of this review it is the Orbi system by Netgear that has been rated best by PC Magazine for throughput over distance and overall performance. You can consult the PC Magazine website for several detailed articles and pertinent tests on all of the aforementioned mesh WiFi systems.
So far I can recommend this innovative mesh WiFi system without any reservations whatsoever. If you buy one, you’ll very likely also be duly impressed.
UPDATE ON 01/04/2017
- New Mesh WiFi System (tri-band Linksys Velop) available on 01/15/2017 -
Linksys (a Belkin company) has introduced a new competing mesh WiFi system that is comparably priced at CES in Las Vegas on 01/03/2017.
A quick performance review by PC Magazine (see their website) on 01/03/2017 describes comparable overall performance to the Netgear Orbi system reviewed above. The Velop beats the Orbi in certain performance parameters and the Orbi proves superior to the Velop in others, essentially a tit for tat situation if you look at the numbers.
PC Magazine has even gone so far as to not only rate the Linksys Velop as an Editor’s Choice, but also as the best mesh WiFi system that they have tested, supposedly even better than the Orbi.
However, the latter assertion strongly depends on what you are looking for in a mesh WiFi system:
1) All two (2) or three (3) devices (depending on how many need to be purchased based on your square footage) of the Velop system are 100% identical with only two (2) Ethernet ports each and no USB ports at all. After creating the connection between the first Velop unit (node in Linksys jargon) and your modem for Internet access, only a single Ethernet port remains. If you also have a VOIP phone box or other device to connect, that’s it. No more wired connections are available. Obviously, this will not work for everyone! You can always get a switch, but why should you have to do so with such an expensive router? Both the Orbi router and satellite units offer far superior connectivity options with four (4) Ethernet ports as well as one (1) USB port available per device.
2) The Linksys Velop also provides the end user with much less control over the WiFi network which is ultimately set up. Only a smartphone app (no web portal at all!) is available to check and adjust a significantly limited number of settings and options overall. Personally, I welcome having smartphone app access to my network settings. However, I prefer that this be available in addition to web access, not in place of it.
Exclusively having used Belkin routers since first getting broadband and WiFi in 2003, I must say that I have serious doubts about the timeliness with which the manufacturer will provide needed firmware updates for the aforementioned Velop mesh WiFi system. My “Belkin AC 1800 DB Wi-Fi Dual-Band AC+ Gigabit Router (F9K1118)” which was replaced by this Netgear Orbi system had not received a pertinent firmware update in three (3) years! This may have been one of the reasons for its poor throughput performance (see my review above) on my 150 Mbps connection. Belkin (and also Linksys?) hardware support after the sale appears to be spotty at best. Netgear Orbi just had its second successful firmware update today (01/04/2017) since I received it about fourteen days ago.
UPDATE ON 09/30/2017
- Major firmware update (V2.0.0.74) now enables daisy chain connectivity between satellites -
This WiFi system is still going strong after some 9 months of continuous use. The general trend has been one of ongoing improvement in performance with each of the many firmware upgrades (I have lost count how many!) that have successfully been installed since my initial purchase in December 2016.
The most recent firmware update (V2.0.0.74) during this past week is directed at the complaint that the Netgear Orbi System does not use true mesh WiFi since each of the individual satellites used only can connect directly to the router. Well, additional satellite-to-satellite connectivity (a.k.a. daisy chain connectivity) has now been enabled and what was already a great performing system just got even better!
UPDATE ON 09/24/2018
This Orbi WiFi system is still performing flawlessly after nearly 2 years of 24/7 use, never any problems whatsoever. And the firmware updates keep on coming like clockwork. This has definitely been a worthwhile purchase, as far as I am concerned!

I would recommend this to a friend

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CraigB

Tech Insider Network

Elite Plus Member

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

4

Solid entry into home mesh WiFi

Posted 2 years ago

CraigB

Tech Insider Network

Elite Plus Member

Pros
Sleek design with built in antennas allows better flexibility of placement
Pre-paired making setup easier
Excellent speed between router and satellite even at a distance
Separate antenna just for communication between router and satellite
Standard design makes administration easy if you are familiar with other routers
Management of all units is done through a single interface
Can be set up as either a standard router or as just the access point
Reliable. Has not required manual restarts
Cons
Initial page load time seems slower than expected
Speed drops significantly with distance
Light ring should have more use as most of the time it is off
Odd authentication errors and brief loss of internet occurs on connected devices
Startup takes a very long time making you unsure if the devices have paired
Color ring only shows status color for a very short time making it easy to miss
2.4GHz and 5GHz network cannot be named independently
Admin interface can be slow
Parental controls and advance features have not progressed in Netgear products
No way to mount on wall
Uses default password that is the same on all which could mean people leave their unit exposed
Firmware has no auto update option
The Netgear Orbi is a type of product that, while not new to the business world, is just becoming popular in the consumer world. Although it is not the first to bring mesh WiFi into the home, it is nice to see Netgear enter the space. Mesh WiFi can be complicated. One of the nice things about Orbi is the units can pre-paired meaning you don’t have to do anything except place them where you think is best and plug them in. The router and satellite will display a color on the ring on the top to indicate if you are within range although it would be better if the color was displayed longer if there is a problem. In fact, the color ring almost seems like an under-utilized artistic element. It would be nice if there were a way to keep the color ring on or use it for other purposes. The overall look of these devices is not like your standard network equipment. It is designed to look more appealing and sleek so you can place them where your WiFi will work best instead of where you are least likely to see it. Most people wouldn’t have a problem placing it on a counter in plain sight to get optimal signal.
These units come with three internal antennas with one for 2.4GHz, one for 5GhZ, and the other for communication between units. In most cases it says 2 units could handle up to a 4,000sqft house. Although this is true you might find speeds drop off quickly with distance due to the antenna design. The good thing is, if needed, more satellites can be purchased and added to the setup to improve coverage. Speed between the router and satellites, when you have a green signal ring, is very good. I would say even tolerant of unusual obstacles without affecting performance. In my house, I needed to put the satellite in a particular place between some of my WiFi products that require a very close WiFi to work properly. In order to do this, I had to place the Orbi satellite in a place that usually causes other WiFi setups to barely be able to connect due to poor placement. In the case of Orbi, the satellite has a strong signal back to the router and I still was able to utilize all 400mbps of my internet. It would appear that, at least in regards to the third antenna, the design is solid.
Using WiFi was generally good, but a quick drop-off in link speed was observed at distance. I have noticed that even though speed tests come up with max speed and low ping times it just seems like the first page of every website takes just a second or two longer than in the past. Almost as if the processor is a bit on the slow side compared to my old gaming WiFi router.
These units are not without flaws. The 2.4GHz and 5GHz names cannot be specified separately. This might cause your Apple devices get to get a little confused. I can’t confirm seamless roaming between units worked but it seemed I always had a strong signal, even though it wasn’t always the fastest. I did have two regular odd occurrences. At odd times all my devices will say there is no internet, even though I am connected to WiFi. By the time I log in Orbi to find out, everything seems to be working fine. I only experience this when using the Orbi WiFi. The other thing I have experienced is some devices, particularly those with Android, will at random say there is a problem authenticating and lose internet. Tapping the name of the WiFi corrects it but I have to do this quite frequently and as with the dropout issue, this only happens when accessing via WiFi on the Orbi. I am not sure if it is the devices or Android at this point but it is quite odd.
Administration is fairly standard using the tried and true integrated website setup that many routers have. The layout is standard Netgear so no surprises here. It has all the regular items and adds a small section in regards to managing the satellites. Otherwise it seems Netgear has not really pushed the boundaries of new interface design here with improved parental controls or even more granular features. If Netgear did nothing else, I wish they would add an automatic firmware upgrade option. In these times, considering how easily routers that are not up to date are being compromised, it seems like an oversight to depend on home consumers to manually update their own firmware. That said, if you have been happy with older Netgear administrative interfaces this won’t disappoint. In that respect, my main criticism is that the interface feels too slow for how basic it is.
Overall, the Netgear Orbi is a solid home mesh WiFi offering that sticks with nearly the same Netgear formula that those who use Netgear will know well. There is nothing jarring or groundbreaking here and, even with my large number of cons, none were significant enough to warranty saying these units are anything but a solid offering if you want to move into the world of home mesh WiFi the Netgear way.

I would recommend this to a friend

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KevinPv

Verified Purchase

Elite Member

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

5

I was very surprised... But its awesome.

Posted 1 year ago

KevinPv

Verified Purchase

Elite Member

Being high speed and up to date on tech is not high on my parents priority list at all. They are cool, and as long as things (ie. the internet) work, they are satisfied. My brother and I, we are a little more up to speed and while we were home for Christmas (always visit your family), my dad mentioned that Netflix programs were taking unusually long to load / lagging / pausing. I had bought them an Airport Extreme a few years ago, so I figured it had to be that (I also hardwired the modem to a desktop and it was clocking 150 while the wireless was like 25 max). I personally have an X8, so I brought it over to see how that would pan out... Still a weak connection.
Problem is that my parents house is really big (3 floors, top floor spans out over half the second floor, and there is a basement.), with walls that divide the dining room / family room / kitchen ect. over 10k sq. feet. Whatever the walls are made of, absolutely haze wireless signals, and to add insult to injury, the room where the internet comes out of the wall towards the back of the 3rd level...
I did my research and chose to go with Orbi because the house has a 150Mbps package and I wanted my parents to have that performance. With that said, I was pretty sure Orbi was going to fall short of the task, simply because this house is a wifi elephant graveyard:
1. First things first, Orbi does not look like the picture you have in your head right now. These things are seriously huge. When I opened the box, I literally laughed out loud because I knew I was going to have to explain what these 2 mega-huge flower-vase looking things are doing in our house. Seriously, I couldn't fathom Orbi could be as big as they are. Either way, I tucked it behind a picture frame and it was cool, but you should know it's way bigger than you can imagine in real life (so plan for that as I didn't).
2. I read all the complaints about the firmware and connections and stuff, so I downloaded the updates from Netgears website beforehand to install them manually. I brought both units to the same room so they could set up close to each other.. I had to turn off (unplug) the modem first, plug in the yellow ethernet cable into Orbi, plug the modem power cord back in, and then give power to each Orbi unit last. This establishes a new connection for the Orbi and Modem to use. Once connected, I did manual FW updates on both the S and R, and it took like 10-15 min to setup. It was very simple.
3. The router is in the back room upstairs and nothing can be done about that. I read that the router should be placed centrally in the house or whatever, but that wasn't possible and I went with the only option I had. The Satellite is on the floor below, maybe 50 feet away, but it is more centrally located in the house. The 2 units do not have a line of sight to one another, and I thought this might cause an issue. It didn't.
4. I can't believe that our entire house is covered with the 2 unit set. On the 2nd and 3rd floor, I get 165Mbps out of my macbook pro (AC) with full signal. I went down to the basement level (90% sure signal would not reach) and that too had full signal but the speed was 120. There is no 3rd satellite, making this set much stronger and wider than I thought it was going to do.
Now if I'm going to drop $450 on a wireless router for my parents, it better meet my astronomical expectations. Surprisingly, it does, so I figured I would write the review I wanted to see out there for the next me and you. This thing consistently out clocks the 150mbps speed my parents pay for, and I just upgraded their service to 300mbps which will activate tomorrow. I am optimistic that Orbi will crank out 300 speed no problem all over the house.
Its legit. If you are taking the time to read these reviews, you most likely face a architectural challenge like I did. Its expensive, but if you are on this level and you know what you want, you pay for what you get. Orbi delivers. Good luck.

I would recommend this to a friend

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MarkusKong

Tech Insider Network

Member

Top 250 Contributor

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

5

Orbi, you're my hero

Posted 2 years ago

MarkusKong

Tech Insider Network

Member

Top 250 Contributor

Outside of the box:
- High Performance AC3000 Tri-Band WiFi System
- Covers up to 4,000 square feet with strong WiFi Signals
- Creates dedicated wireless connection to internet using Tri-Band WiFi delivering maximum speeds no matter how many devices connect
- Just plug in. With simple setup from your mobile device, your secure WiFi network is ready in just minutes
Whats in the Box?
- 1 Orbi Router (RBR50)
- 1 Orbi Satellite (RBS50)
- 1 2m Ethernet Cable
- 2 12v/3.5A Power Adapters
- Quick Start Guide
Requirements to have Orbi work?
- High Speed Internet Connection
- Connect to existing modem or gateway
Physical Dimensions
- 6.7 x 3.1 x 8.89in (170.3 x 78.9 x 225.8mm) each
- Weight 1.96lb (890.5g) each
Technical Specifications:
- AC3000 (1733 + 866 +400 mbps)
- Simultaneous Tri-Band WiFi
* IEEE 802.11 b/g/n 2.4GHz - 256 QAM Support
* IEEE 802.11 a/n/ac 5GHz - 256 QAM Support
- Memory: 4GB Flash and 510 MB RAM
- 6 High-Performance Antennas with High-Powered Amplifiers
- Implicit/Explicit Beamforming for 2.4 & 5GHz Bands
- MU-MIMO Capable for Simultaneous Data Streaming on Multiple Devices
- 4 10/100/1000 Mbps Gigabit Ethernet Ports
* 1 WAN & 3 LAN for Router
* 4 LAN for Satellite
- 1 USB 2.0 Port
- 24/7 Technical Support (90-day Complimentary Technical Support)
Testing/Setup/Speeds:
- Packaging is BEAUTIFUL!, extremely slick
- Unit came with a little bit of random dust or something on it. So if you have OCD like I do, this may be an "issue" for you
- Material of the units feels very nice, smooth, and guess what... NO FINGER PRINTS!
- Nicely labeled for "Router" and "Satellite" so you know which one to use, even if its your first time setting up any router
- Construction and build quality is nice. Finish is amazing. Product looks stunning. The only issue I had with the build quality is the "sturdiness" of it. What I mean is the base kinda doesn't sit solid on top of where you're placing it. Meaning, it wobbles. So if you have any children or pets around, be careful where you put it because the unit kinds rocks back and forth if moved. I wouldn't recommend putting it anywhere high
- Manual included is easy to follow and is clear
- Included Ethernet cable is flat, thin, and flexible; awesome
- AC adapter build quality feels a little cheap (as far as the base goes) but the wire/cord is nice. But honestly... WHO CARES!
- Current speeds WITHOUT Orbi:
*PC Direct Ethernet - 66.32 down, 4.33 up, 13ms ping
*iPhone 6 Plus in bedroom - 2 of 3 bars signal, 48.62 down, 4.37 up, 16ms ping
*Android tablet in bedroom - 1 of 3 bars signal, 12.98 down, 4.79 up, 15ms ping
*PC WiFi connection in bedroom - 2 of 3 bars signal, 66.29 down, 4.37 up, 13ms ping
*iPhone 6 Plus in bathroom (further) - 1 of 3 bars signal, 25.60 down, 4.73 up, 17ms ping
*Android tablet in bathroom (further) - 1 of 3 bars signal, 12.30 down, 4.75 up, 14ms ping
- Post speeds after installing Orbi:
*PC Direct Ethernet - 66.34 down, 5.80 up, 12ms ping
*iPhone 6 Plus in bedroom - 3 of 3 bars signal, 65.90 down, 5.71 up, 40ms ping
*Android tablet in bedroom - 3 of 3 bars signal, 66.16 down, 6.04 up, 14ms ping
*PC WiFi connection in bedroom - 3 of 3 bars signal, 64.53 down, 5.79 up, 16ms ping
*iPhone 6 Plus in bathroom (further) - 3 of 3 bars signal, 65.94 down, 6.05 up, 37ms ping
*Android tablet in bathroom (further) - 3 of 3 bars signal, 65.74 down, 6.04 up, 14ms ping
Conclusion:
WOW! Ladies and gentlemen, this ORBI is amazing. By the test results, it improved the strength/connection, extended my WiFi to wherever I needed it, and boosted my upload speeds. Ethernet connection (direct), same but that's a given. The unit is supposed to deliver what it promised which is better "coverage" and stable speeds across all devices; and it did. Another thing to note even though it wasn't on my test, typically when I go downstairs to the garage where my car is parked; on my old setup I didn't get a good connection. With the ORBI, guess what? FULL BARS, FULL SPEEDS, and STABLE. Setup was a breeze, even for beginners. The device looks very nice in any modern home, apartment, condo, etc. Having guest come over and want to use your WiFi? NO PROBLEM. The Orbi will handle everyone's necessities. All I can say is, I am very pleased with that Netgear released. The only gripes I have about the unit itself is the way the base sits. So if you're planning on buying this bad boy/girl, make sure you find somewhere to put it where it won't fall off somewhere high and break as it hits the ground. The other gripe I have is the customer service 90 day ordeal... Not quite sure how that works cause I typically don't call in but does this mean you only get complementary 90 day support then that's it? You have to pay? Hopefully you would never need to call since this thing is a beast and the build quality is great.

I would recommend this to a friend

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EL305

Verified Purchase

Elite Member

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

5

It'll be Before and After Orbi - Best Mesh/Wi-Fi

Posted 1 year ago

EL305

Verified Purchase

Elite Member

This product has restored my faith in Netgear and made me come back, I have been purchasing, configuring and using Routers since the early 90s I have also experimented with range extenders and routers in bridge mode etc through the years, trust me nothing has ever compared to Orbi when it comes to speed and range.
It is truly amazing how I get full bars and almost no signal degradation whatsoever in every single room in the house and even outside, the dedicated 5GHz channel that the satellite device uses to communicate with the Orbi router is actually making the big difference here in my opinion, something that ONLY the Orbi has at the time of this review.
The first thing you’ll notice when you are getting it setup is how simple it is for the average consumer to get this up and running, basically the system is pre-paired from the factory, the user basically only needs to name their Wi-Fi network and optionally register the product and that’s about it, you’ll be enjoying super-fast Wi-Fi throughout your entire house in no time.
The software has been rock solid and stable so far, configuration has all the features that an advanced user would need such as Guest Network, Port Forwarding, Static routers/ IPs etc, it’s all in there with the exception of true QoS (Because there’s some basic sort of version of it included) and being able to name your 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands independently but I’m sure this will also be included in future firmware versions.
The system is not without some minor issues though, I ran into a small problem when initially upgrading the software where it could not auto-update on its own, people who purchase this in the near future will not run into this problem as newer units will for sure come with more up to date/improved firmware, early adopters who get it now though (and I recommend you to do so) can just manually update the firmware by downloading it from the Netgear support site then going into the Orbi’s web interface and upgrade it manually.
I also wish Netgear would improve their Mobile Apps, the current Android version of the app as of today 12/27/16 (This might not be the case a few months after I write this) is basically only good for setting up the Orbi for the first time, besides that it's virtually useless, also the Netgear Genie app for the PC is so dated, it really needs a facelift and I was disturbed to see that it has not changed GUI wise since the last time I had tried it like 5 years ago, after installing it I immediately removed it, it is really not good at all.
Before having this up and running I was afraid I would need to purchase a second satellite because of the size of my home, no need at all, in fact I was able to get rid of two range extenders while still having full bars/speed in my entire house with just the main unit and the one included satellite that came included with the package, awesomeness!
My home is totally made out of bricks and this is the first system that gives me consistent 90/MBps down 12MBps Up ALL the way from the front of the house to the backyard, I'm talking Internet speeds (which is more than what I pay Comcast for) the actual transfer speeds between devices is much more greater than that, I tell you try Orbi if you haven't yet and see for yourself, if you don't like it you can always return it, nothing to lose.

I would recommend this to a friend

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mdtraveler

Tech Insider Network

Member

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

5

Perfect way to extend your home network

Posted 2 years ago

mdtraveler

Tech Insider Network

Member

I do consider myself a bit of a tech gadget geek, though I definitely have many friends who are far more proficient geeks than I. While I’m not always first to adopt new tech, I have long learned the value of understanding new technology and being able to act quickly to leverage enhanced capabilities eary, so I was intrigued when invited to the Best Buy Tech Panel and decided to join.
My first product review in the program is of the NETGEAR Orbi Whole Home Tri-Band Wi-Fi System. The product description provided on the selection site consisted of only the following:
“NETGEAR - Orbi Wireless-AC3000 Tri-Band Wi-Fi System - White
Achieve high download speeds with this Netgear Orbi Wireless-AC3000 Tri-Band Wi-Fi System. The three Wi-Fi bands have a combined wireless speed of up to 3 Gbps, and Smart Connect intelligence helps pair the fastest available speed with your wireless device. This Netgear system has six built-in antennas for achieving maximum range.”
I did a quick google search and saw some references to solutions to eliminate wi-fi dead zones. I do have one in the basement/gym, so perhaps this will address that, which I view a fair trade off for my effort to write a review, so I placed the order. I’m not exactly sure when the package arrived – I work out of state during the week at a client location – but it wasn’t long after I responded to the product selection notice. I know I looked over the package just before leaving for our extended 25th Anniversary vacation overseas however, because I sliced my thumb on the curve-shaped outer package sleeve (upper left in the package photo) in a doozy of a paper cut scenario and it smarted for a few days. While I can appreciate the attractive appearance of the packaging, it seems to me the same effect could be achieved by just printing the design on a square box. My enthusiasm for further investigation was certainly dampened, so the review had to wait until our return.
Finally back in the US from vacation, it’s now time to get to the review ASAP since it’s been so long delayed and I want to see whether I am suited for this type of creative expression. I committed to myself to do it my very first free day at home.
As luck would have it, this product, which I had selected on a lark with no urgent need for at the time, will likely address a need that I only identified the night before I had planned/scheduled to write this review on my calendar. I flew home from work last night and wanted my husband to check out a show I had found on Netflix, so I tried to access the Smart features of my TV and discovered that the D-Link wireless bridge (DAP-1522) I had been using for several years to supply a wired ethernet connection for both it and my Blue Ray home theater system was no longer operating (would no longer power on) and would need to be replaced. Imagine my delight and surprise when I opened the box this morning and realized that the orbi satellite provides 4 wired ethernet ports as well and therefore can fully replace that device! After taking some time to wonder at the unlikeliness of this coincidence and marvel at the awesomeness of the universe, I pulled up the review I had started when I placed the order and readied myself to install the product and write my review. More good news as I was setting this up: the base router ALSO has 3 ethernet ports, so this will also replace my need for the Netgear WN104TP 4-port wired hub that I’ve also been using for years to provide wired connections from my modem to other peripherals on my desk (external hard drive, connection to in-wall ethernet ports in other areas of my home, etc.). The wired hub still works perfectly after much more than a decade, so it will just be set aside for some future use ;-)
The setup process itself is fairly easy/straightforward. The most difficult thing for me to figure out was how it would fit in the mess of plugs and cables I have stuffed behind my desk. The fact that this device can replace the wired hub was a thankful answer to where to plug in – the rest was just cord wrangling and rearranging the devices on my desk.
The quick start guide provided really spells it all out. I found it very easy to follow. It even automatically checked for firmware updates as part of the setup process, so I am happy to know that it is fully up to date with the latest security measures available, though I did have a few moments panic during the update process when an error page was displayed. Thankfully since I knew I was updating the firmware, I just left it alone for a while. When I returned after a few minutes and saw that the light was blinking white again, I reconnected and continued the setup process and then personalized/changed the SSID and password. I had to reboot a few peripherals and such, but once I did a quick test of all, I confirmed that the setup was a success.
As for the only issue I actually THOUGHT this was potentially going to address – the “dead zone” in my gym: since the satellite is one floor closer, I am able to connect my gym equipment to the web at last for those interactive workouts I need to be devoting more of my time to moving forward. Yay!?!?
So the final verdict: the universe is amazing and this orbi device was destined to be for me. It not only fixed/addressed the one thing I thought it might when I signed on, it replaced and improved upon two other devices I had been using as well. Given my very positive history with Netgear products in the past, I suspect this will be something I won’t have to think about again for many years to come (knock wood)! Thank you Universe, Best Buy Tech Panel and Netgear for a karmic experience!

I would recommend this to a friend

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Nate34

Tech Insider Network

Elite Plus Member

Top 100 Contributor

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

5

Great connection, speeds, coverage, and looks

Posted 2 years ago

Nate34

Tech Insider Network

Elite Plus Member

Top 100 Contributor

Starting off the packaging is done very well. All the items are well protected without going overboard. Everything is separated and protected to prevent any scuffs, etc.
The set up was easy, but took awhile though. A piece of advice. Follow the instructions well. Dont go ahead and connect all your devices before going through the set up. When I tried that I couldnt complete the set up. Heres what I did that worked.
1) Plug in the Router Orbi, Turn on, then connect the Ethernet form your modem in. Wait for the Light ring to turn white.
2) Find the location you want to put the Orbi Satellite, then plug it and power on.
3) The Satellites light ring will also turn white, then Magenta while the the 2 should automatically try to sync with each other. If they do the ring on the Satellite with turn solid blue then off.
4) If it turns Amber they are too far apart, so move them closer
5) If the Satellite does not turn solid blue then you will need to manually sync them by pressing the sync buttons on both.
6) It took awhile, but eventually the light turned solid blue then off. They are now connected so you can move on.
7) Now you are ready to log on to the Orbi's set up page and go through the web based set up.
Once I had it all set up I was very surprised at the speeds I was getting from my Wired and Wireless connections. My internet max speeds are set at 150 MBPS, but I was actually able to get 180 MBPS downloads when wired, and the same speeds with my Galaxy S7 connected wirelessly. This was literally over 100 MBPS faster than my other router. And even more important was the connection strength. In my room about 30 feet away from the router I use to drop to 1 -2 bars on my Galaxy S7, but with the Orbi I had a full 4 bars and amazing speeds.
And we have a lot of devices that rely on that wireless connection and now have no dead spots, and all the speeds for all devices are great. No more Netflix buffering, or low resolution when streaming. Another thing I didnt know at first was that this only has one SSID to choose from. No more switching from 2.4ghz to 5ghz depending on where you are in the house. It automatically chooses the best and strongest connection each time.
So in summary this is a must for anyone that wants great speeds, simple set up, fast wired speeds, and full wireless coverage throughout your house or office. Thank you for reading and have a nice day.

I would recommend this to a friend

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VADarkstar

Tech Insider Network

Elite Member

Top 1000 Contributor

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

5

A Powerful System for Uniformly Strong WiFi

Posted 2 years ago

VADarkstar

Tech Insider Network

Elite Member

Top 1000 Contributor

The Orbi WiFi system is being marketed as a means to end those pesky dead spots in your home. And, to make a long story short, it surely does that at the very least. The package comes with a base router unit and a matching satellite unit - once they have been setup and synchronized, they operate throughout their combined ranges as if there were a single unit. And the satellite unit provides ports for four ethernet connections - the satellite acts like part of a wired router.
Superficially, these units break the recent pattern of marketing bigger, bulkier routers with more and more antennas (antennas have never done anything to help me get better wireless distribution in my house). The Orbi’s are simple white ovaloids that manage to hustle signals around like a boss without looking like a bulked-up spider.
The “Quick Start Guide” is sufficient for the simplest setup options - which were all I needed. There is a 100 page comprehensive manual online that appears to be well organized and well written - it outlines a ton of setup options that go far beyond what I understand - from my naive point of view, though, it looks like the units are highly configurable (and Netgear’s router setup utility is organized and very intuitive).
The only real selling point for any wireless system, though, should be its ability to communicate. The number of bars you see don’t tell you anything valuable about communication - I can connect to my old signal and my new Orbi signal from two houses down but communication isn’t too spiffy down there. What was really a selling point, though, what the difference the Orbi satellite made in the bedroom of my home - my own annoying dead spot. I attached (below) screen-grabs from SpeedTest.net scans before/after Orbi during a peak usage time - with Orbi in my room, the download speed is showing at about 10x the download speed I was getting with my old wireless router. SpeedTest might not be a perfect tool for comparisons, but it’s probably a tool many people are familiar with (I use WiFi Scanner on my MacBook Air and it’s consistently showing download speeds with Orbi of nearly 175 Mbps which is closer to the advertised actual speeds from my ISP).
I only have three issues with the Orbi system: (1) it took me a while to get the units synchronized and operational during the initial setup because there was a firmware mismatch between the units that I didn’t notice during setup - these are not plug-and-play units and I probably have gotten less attentive in my old age but I find it strange that the units shipped with conflicting firmwares, (2) the status of the synchronization is communicated through confusing colors and patterns of LED lights coming from the rings on top of the units - for example the LED’s will always pulse magenta during the synchronization process but solid magenta means that the satellite is too far from the base unit - why would you show an interim color that matches the color used to indicate a problem, & (3) the only post-setup problem I experienced was caused by my satellite losing synchronization with the base unit - all of my computers closest to the base unit were fine but my computer close the the satellite was freaking out about certificates and refused to resolve web pages - it would have been helpful if the units had lit-up again to indicate the synchronization had been broken - it took me a long time to figure out why one computer would suddenly refuse to work with the Orbi’s.
I’ll add one additional petty observation - both the “Quick Start Guide” and the official “Manual” show the base unit as having a BLUE top to differentiate it from the satellite unit which has a white top - I just noticed that in the manual this morning and I had to check the units in bright light to notice the difference - the top of the base unit is the lightest blue that can technically be called blue.
But back to performance - I’ve never seen any download speeds over about 25 Mbps on my remote laptop here - with the Orbi satellite here, I’m showing rates that are consistently around 150 Mbps. I don’t even get communication like that right next to my old router.

45 answered questions about internet

Best answer: These Orbi devices need a WIRED ETHERNET connection to an Internet Service Provider's (ISP) router. So, the answer is NO, you need an ISP. Once you feed an ETHERNET cable into the primary router in this kit, it will saturate your home with wireless Wi-FI internet.

Best answer: Every device connected to your local network (wired and wireless both) should be able to communicate with each other in the absence of internet service. There may be variables of course, such as a particular device that actually requires an internet connection.